Needle-guide mechanism for sewing-machines.



7 PATENTED AUG.'25, 1903.. J. L. KIEFFER. NEEDLE GUIDE MECHANISM FORSEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1901.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

no MODEL.

Inventor.

A ttorneys No. 737,417. PATENTED AUG. 25, 1903..

' J. L. KIEFPER.

NEEDLE GUIDE MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 24, 1901.

z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Inventor,

At torneys N se W3 ffz'e yei Witnesses NO MODEL.

' UNTTET) STATES Patented August 25, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH LOUIS KIEFFER, OF MONTREAL, CANADA.

srnornroamolv forming part of Letters rateiit ivo. 77,417, dated August25, 1903;

Application filed August 24,1901- $erial No. 73,201. (No model.)

To all whom it ntcty concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH LOUIS KIEFFER, a subject of His Majesty theKing of Great Britain, residing in the city and district of Montreal,Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprove: ments in Needle-Guide Mechanism for Sewing-Machines; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in sewing-machines of the classused in sewing boots and shoes by a single-thread chainstitch andemploying a stitch-forming mechanism embracing a curved hooked needleadapted to be alternately advanced through and retracted from the workand a looper arranged to cond u ct the threadin aloop around the path ofthe needle and cause the thread to be engaged with the hook of theneedle, whereby the stitching is advanced in the wellknown manner ofchaiirstitch sewing-machines of this type.

The specific improvement which I have in view in thepresentspecification is connected with the structure and arrangement ofthe guide-piece which is commonly used to hold the needle at anintermediate point thereof between the hooked end and the block orcarrier to which it is secured, and this improved structure mayaccordingly be used not simply in the class of machines hereinafter referred to and one of which is illustrated in the present specification,but in any form of machine which employs a curved or arcuate needlewhich reciproeates or oscillates about a fixed center.

Movable guides for the needle, adapted to hold the samein line toprevent bending and breakage, are common in this class of machinery; butthe principal difficulty common as to prevent the rapid wearing loose ofthe needle-guide, whereby it was caused to rattle and wabble laterallyin its bearings, and thereby its function in guiding the needle into theprecise point of the work intended for it, as well as for minimizingbreakage, was but very imperfectly fulfilled.

It has been my object in the present invention to correct this defect byproviding a new and different structure for supporting the needle-guide,whereby a very large and long bearing-surface is provided and, moreover,the needle-guide is firmly held against any possible lateral shifting orwabbling, being solidly secured to the parts with which it turns in sucha manner that in the operation of the machine they perform the samefunction as though they were integral with each other-that is to say, asif the needle-guide were made an integral part of the parts with whichit turns. The special feature by which this object is accomplishedconsists in providing an-oscillating spindle or rock-shaft, on

the end of which the needle-guide is solidly mounted, and the end onwhich the needleguide is mounted is accordingly enlarged to form acircumferential flanged head, which forms a means of holding theneedle-block in place. In previous machines the needleblock andneedle-guide were mounted separately 0n the projecting end of a sleeveor bushing mounted in the work-head of the machine, which sleeve wasprovided with an enlarged circumferential head to hold them in place andthe sleeve was itself held in place in the work head by the friction ofa setscrew abutting against the side of said sleeve; but said means havebeen found to be wholly inadequate to prevent the working loose of theoscillating parts by the lateral pry or leverage exerted by them duringthe operation of the machine, so that it was impossible to keep theparts tight for more than a few minutes at a time, and, moreover, theconstruction above mentioned left an excessiveamount of friction, due tothe bearing-surfaces of the parts rubbing against each other. In myconstruction, on the contrary, the said circumferential sleeve is formedplain and without any head, the essential function of this sleeve beingto form a bearing-support for the rockshaft and needle-block, but notfor the neodle-guide, because the needle-guide is solidly mounted on thebolt or rock-shaft arranged to oscillate within said sleeve, as abovementioned. It will appearfrom the sequel, moreover, that the collocationof the parts is such that the needle-guide and rock-shafts may be madein one piece, if desirable, or Welded, soldered, or otherwisepermanently made integral with each other, although for ease ofmechanical construction and renewal of the parts I prefer to make theneedle-guide and rock-shaft separately and secure them' together in themanner above indicated. Although in the operation of the machine the twoparts work as one, I wish it to be understood that they are separatelyconstructed simply in order that the machine may be more easilymanufactured and that new parts may be more easily substituted for oldand worn ones. Moreover, the end thrust upon the sleeve is whollyremoved in my device, and means are provided for properly adjusting theparts against wear in such a manner that they cannot possibly be workedloose by the lateral pryingof the oscillating parts, because theneedle-block is held between the work-head of the machine and the saidcircumferential flange on the end of the bolt or rock-shaft which formsa part of the needleguide, and I provide means, such as lock: nuts, onthe opposite end of the shaft for shortening the effective length of theshaft, and thus drawing the oscillating parts together to exactly theproper extent to make them tight, while permitting of easy movement.

Another object had in view in the present invention is that of providingan adjustable stop for the reciprocating travel'of the needle-guide, soas to provide for different positions of the work gage, which willnecessarily be differently adjusted to different thicknesses of stock.Heretofore in the art any such adjusting means-has not been provided,and by reason of this fact the forward movement of the needle-guide hadto be limited to the position corresponding to the rearmost position ofthe work-gage, and thereby when the work-gage was in its forwardposition the needle-guide didnot fulfil its purpose to the bestadvantage in that it could not be projected forwardly to correspond withthe advanced position of the work-gage, and thus support the needle inits movement at a point closer to the point of the needle. In providingmy adjustable stop, which is in the form of a cam-plate located in thepath of an oscillating part of the needle-guide structure, I thereforeprovide for adjusting the forward movement of the needle-guide to themost advantageous degree in each instance, and this is an improvementwhich, so far as I am able to learn, is entirely new in the art.

The particular construction and combination of parts wherein myinvention consists and the special features and advantages thereof willappear more exactly from exam-ination of the following description inconnection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation from the left side of amachine embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, in sideelevation, from the right side of the machine of the curved needle, itscarrier, theneedle-guide, and the other parts immediately associatedtherewith, the end of the needle-guide being shown in section. Fig. 3 isa vertical cross-section through the head of the'machiue upon the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view showing the headed 8o spindleoperating the needle-guide. Fig. 5- is a similar View of theneedle-guide. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the crank or rocking arm whichoperates the needle-guide. Fig. 7 is a similar view of my adjustablestop.

The same numerals of reference denote like parts in all the figures ofthe drawings.

My improvement in the present instance is embraced entirely in thatportion of the machine shown in Figs. 2 and 3that is to say, in theneedle-bearing head, as shown upon the right central portion of Fig.1and the other parts of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 do not concern mypresentinvention,this figurebeing merely intended to show in a generalWay a shoe-sewing machine of this type and to indicate the manner inwhich my present improvements are disposed with relation to thatmachine, so that it willbe unnecessary to enter into a detaileddescription of all the parts I00 shown in Fig. 1, as these are of theordinary form known'to the art and will be well understood by thoseversed in such machincry, with the exception of the improved takeupmechanism, which is shown in the parts 10 numbered 77 to 97, inclusive,of my present drawings and which forms the subject of my divisionalapplication, serially numbered 82,287, filed November 14, 1901, andmyimproved pull-off mechanism shown at the exno treme left of Fig. 1 ofthe present drawings and indicated bythe numerals 101 to 112, inclusive,and which forms the subject of my divisional application Serial No.82,288, filed November 14, 1901, and for a special descrip- I15 tion ofthese devices reference may be had to the specifications of thoseapplications, respectively.

The needle-bearing or work head of the machine is indicated by thenumeral 24, and through this head is bored a transverse cylindricalaperture, which forms the seat for a cylindrical sleeve or bushing 29,which is driven therei'nto and normally stationary therein. The sleeveor bushing 29 on the left side of the head 24 is flush therewith, and onthe right side it extends beyond the side of the head to form a journalsupport for the needle-block 23, which is mounted to oscil-. latethereon and to be oscillated by a link 0 23, which is connected at itslower end to a suitable cam-lever operated from the main shaft 5 of themachine, as will be well understood, the link 23 being provided at itslower end with an aperture 23 for the passage of the said spindle, andthis needle-guide has the bolt connecting it with said' lever. The link23" is :connected at its upper end to a piece 43, firmly secured to theneedle-block 23 and having on its forward end a projecting nose 43, thepurpose of which will be hereinafter described.

Referring briefly to Fig. 1, it will be observed that the apparatusshown is provided with a looper 8 directly in front of the needle andmounted upon a looper-bar 9, having a universal movement and operated,together with the needle and the other operative parts of the machine,by a series of cams 92 upon the shaft 5, as will be well understood byreference to the prior art and need not be herein further described.Below the needle and adjacent to the path thereof is the adjustable workgage 15, which is mounted on the end of a bar 16 and interlocks with asuitable gear upon a shaft 17, the work-gage being pressed forward inthe usual manner by a spring-coil about the shaft 17 and locked in itsforward position at the proper intervals by a reciprocating pawlengaging with the teeth of a ratchet-wheel on the shaft 17, all asclearly shown in the drawings and as in the usual form of this type ofmachine. I have also shown a similarly-operating back gage 18, mountedon a reciprocating rod 19, which is likewise springpressed into itsforward position and locked at the proper intervals against backwardmovement by the serrated catch-plates 20 and 21, the latter beingmounted to oscillate upon the shaft 87 and operated by the cam-lever90,- engaging with the cam-groove 91, and caused to move downwardly atthe proper intervals by the jog 91 in said groove.

Returning now to the parts shown more specifically in the detail viewsof my invention, it will be seen thatlhave provided upon the right-handside of the head 24 a suit-able arcuate guideway 25 for the needle-block23, said guideway having an overhanging flange to retain theneedle-block in place, all of which is old and forms no part of myinvention. The curved or arc-shaped needle of the usual type is shown at13 and provided at its outer end with a hook 14, and this needle issecured to the needle-block by a suitable plate 23 and firmly held inplace by the nut 23, turning on the slotted bolt 23 as is customary inthis form of device. The needleguide itself (indicated by the numeral 22and shown in enlarged detail in Fig. 5) is also not new with me, thisneedle-guide consisting of a ring portion 26, having adownwardly-extending finger 26, through which is formed a longitudinalaperture 27, through which the needle 13 is adapted to pass, and theneedle is adapted to slide loosely therein and to be guided thereby. Thecentral aperture 26 of the ring-portion 26 is made of the same diameteras the exterior diameter of the sleeve 29, whereby the needle-guide isadapted to fit and to turn easily, but without lost motion, on

on the opposite side from the finger 26 a projecting jog 43 which is soplaced as to be engaged at the proper intervals by the nose 43 upon thepiece 43 when the latter is turned to retract the needle from the work,whereby said needle-guide is turned with the needle beyond a certainpoint of its backward movement in order to prevent the point of theneedle passing out of the aperture 27. Both the cheeks of the ring 26are planed parallel and faced, the left hand cheek abutting against theright-hand cheek of the needleblock, as shown, while the right-hand orexterior cheek is flush with the outer end of the sleeve 29 and forms aclose junction and abutment with the inner side of a circular head 32,formed upon the end of the spindle or rockshaft 31, which is made to fitinside said sleeve and to turn therein without lost motion. In order toconnect the needle-guide firmly with this head, which gives it itsmotion, there is a pin 28 embedded in and projecting laterally from theabutting cheek of the ring 26, and this pin projects into acorresponding aperture 34, formed in the depending ear 33, which isformed on the circumference of the circular-head 32. The rock-shaft 31is of such length that it passes entirely through the sleeve 29 andprojects from the left-hand side thereof to a certain extent and at itsouter end is reduced in diameter to form a screwthreaded projecting stud37. At the base of this screw-threaded portion the shaft 31 is formedwith an appropriate flattened portion 36 of any suitable form, and overthis projecting end portion is passed the hub 39 of a crank or rock-arm33, which is correspondingly formed to fit the flattened portion 36, andit is firmly secured to the rocleshaft by a pair of nuts 35, which beingturned into proper position and the needle-guide 22 and needle-block 23being in place secure the whole mechanism in proper relation and preventany possible lost motion from any source. The rock-arm 38 is providedwith a laterallyextending pin 40, to which is connected one end of asuitable helical spring 41, whose other end is secured to any suitablestationary part of the frame of the machineas, for instance, to ascrew-stud 42, screwed into the frame. Now it will be seen that thisspring connection 41 operates upon the rock-arm 38 and rock-shaft 31,and so upon the needle-guide 22, through the pin 28 to keep it pressedinto its foremost position, and it maintains this position so long asthe needle is advanced, as shown in Fig. 2; but when the needle isretracted the nose 43" will then strike against the jog 43 and cause theneedle-guide, with its attachments, to be turned backwardly against thetension of the spring 41, and this position is shown in Fig. 1 of thedrawings. In order to form an adjustable limit to the forward path ofthe needle-guide, whereby fere with-the action of the needle, I haveshown upon the left of the Work-head 24 an adjustable stop-plate 44,which is shown in enlarged detail in Fig. 7. This stop may be indifferent forms, but consists, preferably, of a sector-shaped platehaving an aperture in one end, through which passes a screwstud 45,securing it to the head, while the opposite end is provided with anarcuate slot 47, concentric with its point of rotation and through whichpasses an adjusting-screw 48, which is likewise screwed into the head 24and is adapted to secure the plate 44 in any position, as will be seen.The essential feature of the plate consists in the cam or eccen-' tricedge 46, which being at a variable distance from the central point 45 ofthe plate will project to variable points in the path of the rock-arm38, according to the position at which it may be adjusted. For instance,in the position shown in Fig. 1 the stop-plate is adjusted so as to givethe rock-arm and needle-guide its shortest throw-that is to say, theneedle-guide will be adjusted to the most backward position of thework-gage.

The special advantages accruing from my improved structure of theneedle-guide are many. In the first place, it will be seen that theneedle-guide being firmly secured against the large flat surface of thehead 32 forms practically a solid piece with the rock-shaft so far asits operation is concerned, and thus gives it the advantage of theentire bearingsurface of the said shaft, together with they additionalbearing-surface which it ordinarily has against the exteriorsurface ofthe sleeve 29 and against the cheek of the needle-block. In the secondplace, the needle-guide may be rapidly removed and replaced forcleaning, renewal,repairs,orinspection,as may be desired,

by simply removing the nuts 35, and this will not necessitate in' anyway the disarrangement or removal of the stationary sleeve 29. A thirdadvantage is that the friction is minimized by reason of having only asingle thrust-bearing for the needle-guidethat is to say, that which isformed byits abutment against the cheek of the needle-block-because theopposite cheek is not subject to wear nor to friction, being firmlysecured to and oscillatingwith the head 32, and a fourth great advantageof my structure is that the wear between the oscillating parts, such asit may be, although it will be small in any case,

is readily taken up by simply adjusting the two jam-nuts 35 on the endof the spindle, and no such provision for adjustment against wear hasbeen shown, so far as I know, in any heretofore-existing machine, sothat it was heretofore necessary either to continue to' use worn-outparts after the needle-guide had worn so much as to be practicallyuseless or else, to replace them at considerable expens-e, and even thereplacement of the needle-guide was notsufficient, because of theadditional wear upon the bearings, which by each other that they may besolidly and per manently welded, soldered, or otherwise securedtogether, if desirable, or the two pieces thus shown may be cast orotherwise formed in one single piece, all without interferingin theslightest degree with the setting up or assembling of the parts or theirtaking apart, adjustment, or in their manipulation. This, so far as I amaware, has not been the case with any construction yet known in the art.The reason for making the needle-guide and rock-shaft separately andforming the flanged head 32 on the latter is purely one of mechanicalconvenience of construction and to enable the needle-guide androck-shaft to be renewed separately, as one will necessarily become wornout faster than the other. I do not, therefore, in any way limit myselfto the two-piece construction, as I deem a one-piece construction thefull equivalent therefor, as indicated by the scope of the followingclaims; nor do I, on the other hand, in any Way limit myself to theparticular method described of securing my needle-guide to the end ofthe rock-shaft, as numerous other ways of securing the shaft and guidetogether will be readily devised by any skilled mechanic as may seemsuitable for securing the desired end above pointed out, the essentialpoint being always that the needle-guide and rock-shaft shall be solidlysecured together during operation, so that the needle-guide takes itsmain or entire support from the rock-shaft. In this latter connection itis to be noted that while in the present drawings I have shown aneedle-guide annulus 26 as surrounding and inclosing the end of thesleeve 29, so that it may have a bearing upon the latter, yet it is notat all essential to the principle of my invention that the needle-guidebear directly on the outer surface of the sleeve 29, or even surroundthe latter; but this construction gives it an additional bearing inconjunction with the end of the rock-shaft which still furtherstrengthens and rigidities the oscillatory motion of the needle-guide toprevent Wabbling, as will be obvious; nor do I limit myself to theprecise form of the other parts of my invention herein described, for itwill be obvious to those skilled in the art that many of the details maybe changed in form or position without afiecting the operativeness orutility 'of my invention, While still preserving the principle, and Itherefore reserve the right to make all such modifications as areincluded within the scope of the following claimsor of mechanicalequivalents to the structure set forth.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a sewingmachine, a needle-guide mechanism comprising a stationarysleeve or bushing mounted in the head of the machine and projectingtheretrom,a rock-shaft mo unted in said bushing and having a flangedhead projecting circumferentially from the projecting end of saidbushing, and a needle-guide piece abutting against said flanged head andsecured thereto.

2. In a sewing-machine, a needle-guide mechanism comprising a stationarysleeve or bushing mounted in the head of the machine and projectingtherefrom,a rock-shaft mounted in said bushing and having a flanged headprojecting circumfereutially from the projecting end of said bushing,and a needle-guide piece abutting against said flanged head and securedthereto and surrounding the outer surface of said bushing.

3. In a shoe-sewing machine,a needle-guide mechanism comprising astationary sleeve or bushing mounted in the head of the machine andprojecting therefrom at one end, a rockshaft journaled in said bushingand having a circular flanged head projecting circumferentially aroundthe projecting end of said bushing, a needle-guidepiece having adepending finger embracing the needle and abutting against the interiorside of said flanged head and surrounding the end of said bushing, and apin connecting said flanged head and guide-piece.

4. Ina shoe-sewingmachine,aneedle-guide mechanism comprising astationary sleeve or bushing mounted in the head of the machine andprojecting therefrom at one end, a rockshaft journaled in said bushingand having a circular flanged head projecting circumferentially aroundthe projecting end of said bushing, a needle-guide piece having adepending finger embracing the needle and abutting against the interiorside of said flanged head and surrounding the end of said bushing, a pinconnecting said flanged head and guide-piece, and a needle-block mountedto oscillate upon the exterior of said bushing between said guide-pieceand the work-head.

5. In a shoe-sewing machine,a needle-guide mechanism comprising astationary sleeve or bushing mounted in the head of the machine andprojecting therefrom at one end, a rockshaft journaled in said bushingand having a circular flanged head projecting circumferentially aroundthe projecting end of said bushing, a needle-guide piece having adepending finger embracing the needle and abutting against the interiorside of said flanged head and surrounding the end of said bushing, a pinconnecting said flanged head and guide-piece, a needle-block mounted tooscillate upon the exterior of said bushing between said guide-piece andthe work-head,and means for holding said guide-piece yieldably at theforward end of its stroke.

6. In a shoe-sewing machine, a ncedle-guide mechanism comprising astationary sleeve or bushing mounted in the head of the machine andprojecting therefrom at one end, a rockshaft journaled in said bushingand having a circular flanged head projecting circumferentially aroundthe projecting end of said bushing, a needle-guide piece having adepending finger embracing the needle and abutting against the interiorside of said flanged head and surrounding upon the end of said bushing,apin connecting said flanged head and guide-piece,a needle-block mountedto oscillate upon the exterior of said bushing between said guide-pieceand the work-head, a rock-arm keyed upon said rock-shaft at the oppositeside of the head, adjustable tightening means such as nuts, for drawingthe parts together to take up Wear, and a spring secured at one end tothe end of said rockshaft and at the opposite end to a stationary partof the machine, whereby to yieldingly retain said needle-guide at theforemost end of its stroke.

7. In a sewing-machine of the class described, the combination with aneedle-guide, of a spindle secured fast to said needle-guide, and meansfor adjusting the rocking movement of the spindle and the arc ofvibration of the needle-guide, substantially as described.

8. In a sewing-machine of the class described, the combination with aneedle-guide, of a bushing, a spindle mounted in the bushing and securedfast to the needle-guide, an

arm on the spindle, and a slop-plate secured adjustably in the path ofsaid arm, substantially as described.

9. In a sewing-machine of the class described, the combination with arock-shaft and a needle-guide attached thereto of a rockarm keyed uponsaid rock-shaft, and an adjustable stop-plate adapted to project tovariable distances into the path of said rock-arm.

10. In a sewing-machine of the class described, the combination with aneedle-guide, of a bushing, a spindle mounted in the bushing and securedfast to the needle-guide, an arm on the spindle, and a sector-shapedslotted plate having a cam edge adapted to be projected to variabledistances into the path of said rock-arm.

11. In a sewing-machine, a needle-guide mechanism comprising a plaincylindrical sleeve or bushing mounted in the head of the machine andformed without stud or projection thereon and having one end projectinglaterally from the head of the machine, a rock-shaft mounted in saidbushing and having a flanged head projecting circumferentially from theprojecting end of said bushing, and a needle-guide piece abuttingagainst said flanged head and secured thereto.

12. In a sewing-machine, a needle-guide mechanism comprising astationary sleeve or bushing mounted in the head of the machine andprojecting therefrom ,a rock-shat t mou nt- IIC ed in said bushing andhaving a flanged head bination of a needle-guide, anda coaxial spindiehaving a projecting end to which said needle-guide is directly securedwhereby the spindle and needle guide may be together mounted anddismounted.

14. In a sewing-machine, a needle-guide mechanism comprising arock-shaft, a needle-guide secured directly to the end of said shaftwithout intervening parts,whereby the two may be manipulated as onepiece, and a needle mounted to oscillate coaxially with said rock-shaft.

15. In a sewing-machine, a needle-guide mechanism comprising arock-shaft or spindle mounted to oscillate in the head of the machine, aneedle-guide secured immediately to one end of said spindle in fixedrelation thereto whereby the spindle and needle-guide may be togethermounted and dismounted, and an arcuate needle projecting through a holein said needle-guide and arranged to oscillate coaxially with saidspindle.

16. In a sewing-machine, a needle-guide mechanism comprising vastationary sleeve or bushing secured in the work-head of the machine andhaving a projecting end, a rockshaft mounted therein, means foroscillating said rock-shaft, a needle-block mounted on said projectingend, and a needle-guide secured immediately to the projecting end ofmounted.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH LOUIS KIEFFER.

Witnesses H. T. BERNHARD, JOHN F. DEUFFERWIEL.

